Chief of Navy Reserve and Commander, Navy Reserve Force, Vice Adm. John Mustin, addressed Submarine Force Reserve Component (SFRC) leadership during a virtual training session Feb. 26, 2021.

“Every Reserve Sailor, including you, should be focused unambiguously on warfighting readiness. It is our number one and only priority,” said Mustin. “All of you have a special responsibility for maintaining undersea combat power and critical strategic depth that our Navy requires to prevail in an era of great power competition.”

During the training, Mustin emphasized the need to ensure every Reserve unit and Sailor is prepared to complete and win in high-end combat operations.

“You are part of the greatest undersea fighting force in the world, but in order to maintain that edge, you must continuously pursue the highest levels of readiness,” said Mustin. “Whether through classroom or hands-on training, you must hone your operational and tactical skills to build the experience and sound judgement necessary to stay ahead of our adversaries. Be ready now, ready always.”

The SFRC leadership training session provided Reserve undersea leaders the opportunity to:

• Build and strengthen relationships and communication between unit commanding officers and senior enlisted leaders throughout SFRC
• Update SFRC leadership on the current issues within the Submarine Force and Reserve Force
• Develop stronger connections between the unit leadership, the Operational Support Officers (OSO), and supported commands
• Provide time for the individual competencies to develop and refine their specific plans for executing their mission

“With over 1,500 Reserve Sailors within the SRFC, we provide our supported commands six areas of expertise: Undersea Warfare, Strategic Submarine Force Protection, Submarine Tender Expeditionary Maintenance, Undersea Rescue, Unmanned Undersea Vehicles, and Undersea Warfighting Development,” said Capt. Ike Armstrong, operational support officer, Commander, Submarine Forces Atlantic (COMSUBLANT). “As our Reserve undersea professionals prepare for Great Power Competition (GPC), we train like we fight.  Our Reserve team operates and trains fully integrated with our active duty commands to be ready when called.”  

During the training session, nearly 90 Reserve Sailors received briefs from senior Submarine Force leaders on how the Reserve Force supports Commander’s Intent 3.0, and from senior Reserve Force leaders on the Navy Reserve Fighting Instructions 2020, along with other important topics.

“The leadership training was a great opportunity for us to ensure we understand how our supported commands intend to employ us during conflict,” said Chief Information Systems Technician  Alexander Love, a Reserve Sailor assigned to NR Undersea Warfare Operations New London One. “That understanding will enable us to be warfighting ready and trained to our specific billet. That’s our number one job.”

“Our end state is an undersea force that enhances strategic deterrence, integrates combat power with the Joint Force, and enables all-domain maneuver warfare,” said Vice Adm. Daryl Caudle, Commander, Submarine Forces. “Our Reserve undersea community plays a critical role in achieving those ends, maintaining our asymmetric advantage and readiness for combat. Therefore, we need every Reserve Sailor to be warfighting-ready the day they report aboard to best meet their supported command strategic depth requirements.”

The mission of the Navy Reserve is to provide strategic depth and deliver operational capabilities to the Navy and Marine Corps team, and Joint forces, in the full range of military operations from peace to war. It provides essential naval warfighting capabilities and expertise, strategically aligned with mission requirements - valued for warfighting readiness, innovation, and agility.

The mission of the Submarine Force is to execute the Department of the Navy’s mission in and from the undersea domain. In addition to lending added capacity to naval forces, the Submarine Force, in particular, is expected to leverage those special advantages that come with undersea concealment to permit operational, deterrent and combat effects that the Navy and the nation could not otherwise achieve.